Paper fastener



June 20, 1933. v w; LANG 1,914,513

PAPER FASTENER v Filed Dec. 30, 1932 11v VENTOR William Lang A TTORNEY Patented June 26, 1933 UNID STATES PATENT OFFEQE WILLZAM LANG, .OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BATES MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF "WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PAPER FASTENER Application. filed. December 30, 1932. Serial No. 649,507.

My invention relates to paper fasteners and more particularly to that type of fastener adapted to clamp or secure together a number of perforated and superimposed sheets of paper such as those which make up ordinary correspondence files.

A common form of this type of fastener consists of an elongated-base or clamping member having resilient bendable fingers or tongues at or adjacent its ends, and a keeper comprising an elongated plate having openings adjacent its ends and through which the fingers of the clampin member, after being 7 inserted through perforations in the sheets to be clamped together, are designed to be passed and then bent down over the keeper plate, the keeper also having one or more locking members slidably mounted on such plate and adapted to cooperate with the fingers of the clamping member to lock the same and thereby the clamping member and keeper in operative clamping relation with respect to the sheets secured thereby. It is to fasteners of this general construction that my invention is especially directed.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a fastener of the character described which is of improved, simple and economical construction and which is also very effective, practicable and satisfactory in use.

Another object of my invention is to provide in such a fastener an improved construction for releasably holding each locking member in a certain definite operative position.

Another object is to provide in a fastener such as described, a new and improved arrangement or construction for holding each locking member in operative position, which preferably comprises cooperative means respectively provided on the locking member and a finger of the clamping member and which is preferably rendered effective or brought into action upon movement of the locking member to a definite position with respect to said finger.

Still another object of my invention is to provide such a fastener with improved means for holding a locking member mounted on the keeper plate in operative relation to the finger of the clamping member with which it cooperates, which means upon movement of the locking member on the keeper plate to a given position with respect to said finger is adapted to become effective to hold said member in such position even though the finger may be out of alignment with the keeper plate.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a fastener having provision for holding lockin members in definte operatve positions with respect to the fingers of the clamping member by coaction with the latter and having'stops for limiting the out ward movement of such locking members on the keeper plate, of an improved construction for increasing the capacity of the fastener.

Other objects and advantages of my in-' vention will be hereinafter more fully described, and the novel features thereof will be set forth in the claims.

For a clearer understanding of my invention, attention is directed to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in the several views of which like parts are designated by the same reference characters, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmental plan showing a plurality of superimposed sheets of paper secured together by a fastener constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on a line in Figure 1. extending longitudinally and centrally of the fastener;

Figure 3 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the base or clamping member forming part of the fastener illustrated in Figures l and 2, before the fingers or tongues thereof have been bent up to be passed through the openings in the keeper plate;

Figure 4c is an enlarged sectional view, taken on line 4% of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of an end portion of the keeper comprising part of the fastener illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, with one of the locking members shown at the outer limit of its movement on the keeper plate;

Figure 6 is a fragmental plan view of a modified form of fastener in accordance with my invention, showing one of the locking members in operative association with a finger of the clamping member;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 of another modified form of my invention; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the locking member and finger of the fastener shown in 2 are adapted respectively to be extended and then bent inwardly and downwardly over the keeper plate. The keeper plate 3 has a flat central or intermediate portion 5 extending from end to end thereof and spaced parallel rails or guides 6 which are formed along the opposite side edges of the plate. The rails 6 comprise re-enforcing wall portions 7 which extend upwardly from the flat central portion 5 substantially at right angles thereto and which cooperate with the latter to form a channel space, and flat rail portions 8 which lie in the same plane and are parallel. to and spaced above the portion 5 a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the fingers 2. The rails are continuous and extend outwardly beyond the openings 4 in the plate 3 substantially to the ends of the latter where they are curved smoothly but abruptly downward, as indicated at 9, to the plane of the central portion 5. The rail portions 8 are respectively indented adjacent each end thereof to form downward projections 10 which constitute stops for limiting the outward movement of a pair of locking members 11 slidably mounted on such rail portions.

Each locking member 11 comprises a flat intermediate bridge or locking portion 12 preferably of substantially rectangular form, and similar channeled or bent over rectangular end portions 13 constituting shoes which embrace or engage over and beneath the rail portions 8, the locking member thus being mounted on the keeper plate 3 for sliding rectilinear movement between the respective pairs of stops 10 provided adjacent the ends of the plate. The bridge or looking portion 12 and shoes 13 of each member 11 are preferably integrally formed and the upper fiat sections or sides of the shoes and said bridge portion are in a common plane which is substantially coincident with the plane of the upper surfaces of the rail portions 8. Also the bridge or looking portion 12 of each of the members 11 is of a length which is substantially equal to the width of the channel space formed between the rails 6 and over which it extends, but, for a purpose which will presently be described, is made considerably narrower than the shoes 13 with its inner edge continuous with the inner edges of the shoes and with its outer edge ofi'set inwardly from the outer edges of the shoes, by providing a rectangular cut-away or recess 14 in the outer edge portion of the locking member intermediate the shoes. If desired, the bridge portions 12 of the locking members may each be provided intermediate the ed es thereof with an upstanding portion or projection 14, as indicated in Figure 1 by dotted lines, to provide means for readily sliding such members along the keeper plate by a finger or fingers of the user. The flat fingers 2 of the clamping member 1 are provided closely adjacent their free ends with suitable means adapted to embrace the narrow bridge portions 12 of the locking members to thereby hold the latter against movement along the rails 6, such means as shown in Figures 1 and 2, comprising substantially rectangular depressed portions or channels 15which extend transversely of and entirely across the fingers and which are just slightly wider than said bridge portions. The inherent upward resiliency of the fingers 2 after they are bent inwardly and downwardly over the keeper plate into the channel space between the rails 6, moves the fingers upwardly with a snapping action sufiieiently to bring the channels 15 into embracing position with respect to the bridge portions 12 of the locking members (as shown in Figures 1 and 2) when the latter are slid along the rails of the keeper plate and over the free ends of the fingers, and then acts to maintain such embracing engagement of the fingers and lockmg members to thereby yieldingly and releasably lock the latter in operative'position and against movement lengthwise of the fingers. The side walls of the channels 15 in the fingers are preferably slightly flared so that the locking members may be moved from locking engagement with the fingers 2 by the application of pressure to such members in either direction lengthwise of the keeper. The fingers 2 are preferably downwardly inclined to a slight degree at their free ends 16 to facilitate the engagement of the locking members thereover.

The projections or stops 10 formed in the rail portions 8 adjacent each end of the keeper plate are preferably located outward- 1y of the inner edge of the corresponding opening 4 at a distance slightly less than the depth of the recess 14 of that locking member 12 having its outward movement limited by direct engagement with said stops, so that when this locking member is at the limit of such movement with the portions of its shoes 13 which extend outwardly of the bridge portion 12 against the stops, the outer lateral edge of the bridge portion will be located only a slight distance inwardly from the said inner edge of opening 4, all as clearly shown in Figure 5. lVith this construction the bridge portions of members 12 are respectively adapted to be lockingly engaged with the depressed portions or channels 15 of fingers 2 in all of the operative positions of the latter from those in which said channels are at the maximum distance inwardly of openings i to those in which the outer sides of the channels are substantially at the inner edges of said openings, the fastener thus being rendered of maximum capaclty as to the number of sheets it will accommodate. Also each of the members 11 has fairly long bear- J at right angles to the base portion 1 and inserted through perforations 18 in the superimposed sheets S to be secured together, thereupon the keeper plate 3 is positioned with 1ts openings engaged by the fingers and pressed down against the sheets, and the free end portions of the fingers are then bent inwardly and downwardly into the channel space between rails 6. The locking members 12 are next slid over the end'portions of the fingers while the latter are pressed down against the fiat central portion 5 of plate 3, the pressure on the fingers is then removed and the looking members 12 are slid along the rails 6 until the channels are snapped into embracing engagement with the narrow bridge portions 13 by the inherent resiliency of thefingers. The fingers 2 and members 12 will then be firmly but releasably locked together to prevent any substantial relative movement thereof and to hold the parts of the fastener in operative clamping position.

That form of my improved fastener shown in Figures 6 and 8 is of the same construction as that illustrated in Figures 1-5, except that each of the fingers 2' of the clamping member (only one of which fingers is shown) instead of being provided with a transverse depression or channel adjacent its free end, has two small struck up conical projections which are disposed centrally of the finger and spaced apart longitudinally thereof a distance substantially equal to the width of the bridge portion 12 of each of the locking members 11 so as to be adapted to embracingly engage the bridge portion of such a locking member when the latter is in a position relatively to the finger corresponding to that shown. The application and manner of operation of this form of my fastener are the same as described above in connection with the fastener shown in Figures 15. It is to be noted, however, that in sliding a member 11 along the rails of the keeper plate and over a finger 2' to or from the position shown, the bridge portion 13 of such member passes over one or the other of the projections 20 and coacts therewith to force the finger downwardly towards the central fiat portion 5 of the keeper plate after which the finger moves upwardly under its own resiliency. Also in this form of fastener the fingers in becoming lockingly engaged with the bridge portions of the locking members, do not move upwardly from the keeper plate as far as do the fingers of the fastener shown in Figures 15, due to the fact that the portion of each finger 2 between the projections 20 is in substantially the same plane as the adjoining portions of the finger.

The fastener shown in Figure 7 is of the same construction as that shown in Figures 15 except that the lateral edges 21 of the bridge portion 12' of each of the locking members 11 (only one of which members is shown) are curved outwardly or made con- Vex as illustrated. The application and manner of operation of this form of fastener are also the same as above described in the case of the fastener shown in Figures 15.

In respect of each of the fasteners shown in Figures 6 and 7, attention is directed to the fact that when any of the fingers is in embracing locking relation to a locking member, the same will have substantially only single point engagement or contact with the lateral edges of the bridge portion of such locking member due to the formation of the projections 20 or of the lateral edges of the bridge portion, as the case may be. Accordingly with either of these fasteners, when a looking member is moved on the keeper plate to a position opposite that portion of a finger of the clamping member which is designed to embracingly engage the bridge portion of the locking member, such engagement is readily effected under the resiliency of the finger without any action being exerted on the locking member tending to move the same angularly on the keeper plate into binding engagement with the rails 6, regardless of whether or not the finger is aligned in respect of the channel space between the rails in which it is disposed.

t is to be understood that the fastener constructions shown and specifically described herein are subject to many modifications without departure from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims. v

Having now fully described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of such finger when said. member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position with respect to the finger.

2. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and locking members mounted on said keeper for movement longitudinally thereof, each of said members comprising an intermediate or bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, each of said fingers having means adapted to embracingly engage about the opposite lateral edges of the bridge portion of one of said locking members under the resiliency of the finger when such member is located on the keeper with its bridge portion in a certain position longitudinally of and over the finger.

' 3. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and alocking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its lateral opposite edges under the resiliency of such finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position with respect to the finger, said means comprising a transverse portion of the finger of substantially the same width as said bridge portion of the locking member and relatively raised portions of the finger respectively located ad jacent said transverse portion at opposite sides thereof.

4. In a paper fastener, a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper having spaced openings, rails at the edges of the keeper providing a channel space therebetween, said fingers being adapted to be respectively extended through said openings and then bent down over the keeper and into said channel space, and locking members slidably mounted on said rails and each having an intermediate or bridge portion extending across said channel space in substantially the same plane as the upper surfaces of said rails, each of said fingers having means adapted to be embracingly engaged with the said bridge portion of one of the locking members under the resiliency of the finger in the movement of such member along the keeper and over said finger when the latter is bent into said channel space, said means comprising a transverse portion of the finger of substantially the same width as the said bridge portion of the locking member and relatively raised portions of the finger respectively located adjacent said transverse portion at opposite sides thereof.

5. A paper fastener comprising a clamp ing member having spaced substantially flat resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fin ers are adapted to be bent, and a locking mem er movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of the finger when said member is located with itsbridge portion in a certain position with respect to thefinger, said means comprising a channel portion in the finger extending transversely across the same and of substantially the same width as said bridge portion.

6. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced substantially flat resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion. extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of the finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position with respect to the finger, said means comprising projections formed on the finger and spaced apart longitudinally of the finger a distance substantially equal to the width of the said bridge portion.

7. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced substantially fiat resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of the finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain posltion With respect to the finger, said embracing means when in cooperative relation to the bridge portion having substantially polnt engagement with the said lateral edges of the latter.

8. A paperv fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced substantially fiat resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of the finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position with respect to the finger, said means comprising a channel portion in the finger extending transversely across the same and of substantially the same width as said bridge portion at its widest point, each of the lateral edges of said bridge portion being convex.

9. A clamping member for a paper fastener comprising an elongated base portion and re silient bendable spaced fingers joined at one end to said base portion, each of said fingers being provided adjacent its other end with a substantially rectangular channel extending transversely across the same.

10. A locking member adapted to be movably mounted on the keeper plate of a paper fastener, comprising shoe portions at the ends thereof for slidable engagement with the lateral edge portions of such a keeper plate and a bridge portion extending between said shoe portions, the lateral edges of said bridge portion being convex.

11. A clamping member for a paper fastener comprising an elongated base portion and substantially fiat bendable spaced fingers joined at one end to said base portion, each of said fingers being provided adjacent its other end with a pair of upstanding projections which are spaced apart lengthwise 0f the fingers.

12. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, an elongated keeper having spaced openings through which said fingers are adapted to be extended and then bent down over the keeper, locking members, each of said members having an intermediate or bridge portion and shoes at its ends by means of which such member is slidably mounted on the opposite lateral edge portions of the keeper, the outer edge of the bridge portion of each of said members being inset with respect to the outer lateral edges of the shoes of such member, and stops provided on the keeper adjacent each of the openings in the latter and with which the outer lateral edges of the shoes of the respective locking members are adapted to engage to limit the outward movement of the latter on the keeper, the stops for each looking member being disposed outwardly of the inner edge of the adjacent opening a distance substantially equal to the depth of inset of the said lateral edge of the bridge portion of such member.

13. A keeper for paper fasteners comprising an elongated plate having spaced openings, two locking members having shoes at their ends which slidably engage the opposite lateral edge portions of said plate whereby such members are mounted on the latter for movement between said openings, each of said members also having a bridge portion which connects the shoes thereof and the outer lateral edge of which is inset with respect to the corresponding edges of such shoes, and stops ing an elongated plate having openings adjacent its ends and spaced rails extending continuously between the ends thereof, two locking members having intermediate bridge portions and shoes at their ends which slidably en 'age said rails, the shoes of each of said members having portions which extend outwardly beyond the bridge portion thereof, and stops for said members provided on said rails adjacent each end of the plate at a distance outwardly of the inner edge of the corresponding opening in the latter substantially equal to the length of the'outwardly extending portions of said shoes.

This specification signed this 28th day of December, 1932.

WILLIAM LANG.

DISCLAIMER 1,914,513.William Lang, West Orange, N. J. PAPER FASTENER. Patent dated June 20, 1933. Disclaimer filed November 9, 1935, by the patentee, and the assignee, The Bates lvlanufacmring Company.

Hereby enter this disclaimer to that part of the said specification which consists of claims numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 11, which respectively are in the following words, to wit:

1. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of such finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position. with respect-to the finger.

2. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and locking members mounted on said keeper for movement longitudinally thereof, each of said members comprising an intermediate or bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, each of said fingers having means adapted to embracingly engage about the opposite lateral edges of the bridge portion of one of said locking members under the resiliency of the finger when such member is located on the keeper with its bridge portion in a certain position longitudinally of and over the finger.

3. A paper fastener comprising a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having i means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its lateral opposite edges under the resiliency of such finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position with respect to the finger, said means comprising a transverse portion of the finger of substantially the same width as said bridgeportion of the locking member and relatively raised portions of the finger respectively located adjacent said transverse portion at opposite sides thereof.

4. In a paper fastener, a clamping member having spaced resilient bendable fingers, a keeper having spaced openings, rails at the edges of the keeper providing a channel space therebetween, said fingers being adapted to be respectively extended through said openings and then bent down over the keeper and into said channel space, and locking members slidably mounted on said rails and each having an intermediate or bridge portion extending across said channel space in substantially the same plane as the upper surfaces of said rails, each of said fingers having means adapted to be embracingly engaged with the said bridge portion of one of the locking members under the resiliency of the finger in the movement of such member along the keeper and over said finger when the latter is bent into said channel space, said means comprising a transverse portion of the finger of substantially the same width as the said bridge portion of the locking member and relatively raised portions of the fir%ger respectively located adjacent said transverse portion at opposite sides thereo 6. A paper fastener comprising aclamping member having spaced substantially fiat resilient bendable fingers, a keeper down over which said fingers are adapted to be bent, and a locking member movable on the keeper longitudinally thereof and having a bridge portion extending transversely over the keeper, at least one of said fingers having means adapted to embrace said bridge portion about its opposite lateral edges under the resiliency of the finger when said member is located with its bridge portion in a certain position with respect to the finger, said means comprising projections formed on the finger and spaced apart longitudinally of the finger a distance substantially equalto the width of the said bridge portion.

11. A clamping member for a paper fastener comprising an elongated base portion and substantially fiat bendable spaced fingers joined at one end to said base portion, each of said fingers being provided adjacent its other end with a pair of upstanding projections which are spaced apart lengthwise of the fingers.

[Ofiicial Gazette December 3, 1935.] 

